Background
Michel Legrand was born on February 24, 1932, in Paris, France. He was a son of Raymond Legrand and Marcelle Ter-Mikaëlian. He had a sister and two brothers.
1964
Michel Legrand and Catherine Deneuve
1972
Michel Legrand
1994
Michel Legrand at home
209 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris, France
The Conservatoire de Paris where Michel Legrand studied.
Michel Legrand, Agnes Varda and Corinne Marchand at a reception at the Club Saint-Hilaire in Paris to mark the completion of the film 'Cléo de 5 à 7'.
C/ Palau de la Música, 4-6, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Pierre Boussaguet and Michel Legrand of Michel Legrand Trio perform on stage during Festival Internacional Jazz de Barcelona at Palau de la Musica on November 11, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.
Michel Drucker, Barbara Streisand and Michel Legrand during a television show in Paris on March 17, 1984, France.
The singer Placido Domingo and Mireille Mathieu sing together accompanied by an orchestra led by Michel Legrand in 1984 in Paris, France.
Michel Legrand was born on February 24, 1932, in Paris, France. He was a son of Raymond Legrand and Marcelle Ter-Mikaëlian. He had a sister and two brothers.
Michel Legrand attended the Conservatoire de Paris where he studied under Nadia Boulanger. Legrand graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris in 1951.
In 2016, Legrand received an Honorary Doctorate from Western Michigan University.
Michel Legrand started his career as an accompanist and arranger with Jacques Canetti. He recorded music for Philips company. In 1954, he recorded his first album I Love Paris. He worked with such jazz stars as Miles Davis and Stan Getz. In 1956 Jacques Canetti introduced Legrand to Maurice Chevalier who hired him as musical director of his show at the Alhambra. He was invited to the World Youth Festival in Moscow in 1957. Legrand released such albums as C'Est Magnifique, Legrand in Rio, Paris Jazz Piano, Legrand Jazz and many others.
Michel Legrand composed music for such films as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun, The Go-Between and Summer of '42. He composed the score for the musical Le Passe-muraille in 1997. Legrand is also the author of two operas and ballets as well as two concertos. He has performed with numerous orchestras around the world, including those in St. Petersburg, Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta and Denver. Legrand wrote his first autobiography Rien n'est grave dans les aigus together with Stéphane Lerouge His last album Entre elle et lui was released in 2013.
Quotations: "I hate the idea of goals, results, limits. I’m an artist, not a politician. I’m motivated by life and by the richness and diversity of all kinds of music. Without forgetting that what’s really important is to remain a beginner. One of the most stimulating periods of your life is the time when you’re discovering things, when you’re learning. When you become too skilful, your spontaneity disappears, you’re no longer afraid of anything. I hope I never become someone whom people coolly describe as "very professional". Throughout my life, I’ve always wanted to vary my musical pleasures, and to remain an eternal beginner, without ever rationalizing things in terms of a "career". Stravinsky once said: "We insomniacs are always trying to find a cool spot on the pillow." I’ve been searching endlessly for that spot for years!"
Michel Legrand was a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Songwriters Guild of America, American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Michel Legrand married Christine Bouchard in 1958. The marriage produced four children. In 2013, Michel and Christine divorced. One year later Legrand married Macha Méril.